One common user interface is a window such as a pop up window. A very common pop-up window is a message window such as is used in an instant messaging (IM) system such as America On-line's (AOL's) Instant Messenger, Yahoo's Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, Inc's ICQ messaging system, and other similar messaging systems.
FIGS. 1-1A illustrate typical IM windows. FIG. 1 shows a IM user menu 102 that includes tool bars 104 for providing the maintenance functions of the IM system such as logging in (LOGIN), MESSAGE to initiate an IM session, and other functions. The user menu also identifies the user 106 and all of the user's friends 108, i.e. the list of other users that the user 106 has set up to converse with via the IM system. Each of the friends 108 typically also has a corresponding indicator 110, 112. The indicators 110, 112 provide an indication that the corresponding user is available to participate in an IM session. For example, the indicators 110 are not highlighted i.e. in an outline mode and therefore indicate friends Jim, Jane, and Jack are not available to participate in an IM session. Conversely, indicator 112 is highlighted i.e. filled in with a bright color to indicate that friend Xavier is available for an IM session.
FIG. 1A shows an IM session window 122. The IM session window includes a tool bar 124, a user ID field 126 to identify the current user, an addressee field 128 that identifies the other user that is participating in the IM session. A conversation window 130 shows the last few lines of the IM session and which user had entered each line. As the lines of the IM session exceed the number of lines that can be shown in the conversation window 130, then a scroll bar 132 is provided to scroll up and down through the lines of the IM session. The conversation window 130 is typically visible to both the user 126 and the addressee 128. A composition field 134 is provided for the user to compose his IM session lines i.e. a comment or reply that will be posted to the conversation window 130 when the user selects the send button 136. A close button 138 is also provided for the user 126 to end the IM session.
FIG. 2 shows the process of an IM session. At block 202, the user selects a first friend (i.e. a first addressee) from the IM friend list to initiate an IM session. Next, in block 204, a first IM session window is displayed. The user then composes a line to the first addressee in block 206. The user then posts the line and the line appears in the conversation window in blocks 208, 210. Both the user and the addressee can view the conversation window. The first addressee posts a reply to the line from the user in the conversation window in block 212. When the first addressee posts a reply, an indication such as the border 140 or the IM banner 142, from FIG. 1A, “flashes” or alternates changes in color or in a similar manner draws the user's attention to the first IM session window 122 because a new comment has been posted by the other participant, i.e. the first addressee, has posted a new comment or reply to the IM conversation window 130. If the user is finished with the IM session in block 214, then the user selects the close button to end the IM session. If the user does not want to end the IM session in block 214, then the process repeats beginning at block 206.
If the user desires to have more than one IM session concurrently. i.e. simultaneously, so that the user can have two or more separate IM conversations with a different addressee in each IM session, then the user simply performs the process of FIG. 2 multiple times, in parallel. The user can thereby have multiple concurrent IM session windows.
A user may often desire to have multiple IM sessions concurrently. When the user is using a PC or other computing device with a large display, each one of the IM session windows can be displayed in whole or tiled i.e. partially covered by one or more other windows. In this way, as a reply is received in each of the IM sessions, at least a portion of the IM session window that received the reply is visible so that the user can see a portion of the flashing IM session window.
Compact computing devices such as computer with a compact display i.e. a personal digital assistant (PDA), a palm-top computer, a two way pager, an IM session enabled telephone, or other compact computing devices with compact displays are becoming very popular devices for IM. However, because a compact computing device has a compact display, it is often difficult for a user to simultaneously view multiple IM session windows and to easily switch between the multiple IM session windows.